A US judicial panel said that Texas‘ antitrust lawsuit against Alphabet’s Google would be moved to the Southern District of New York, where other similar cases would also be heard.
Google had asked that the case, which was filed against it by Texas and other states, be combined with similar cases in US District Court for Northern California.
Texas opposed the move, and the request prompted federal legislation aimed at allowing state attorneys general to choose the venue for their lawsuits.
The panel, which recently heard arguments on the proposed move, said that the Texas case and others involve “common questions of fact, and that centralization in the Southern District of New York will serve the convenience of the parties and witnesses.”
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The company is battling three government claims of abuse of monopoly power. Google’s search business was targeted in separate lawsuits filed by the US Justice Department and a group of states. The complaint in Texas focuses on digital advertising.
Google lawyer Eric Mahr told the judge that similar suits in Texas and California could result in conflicting court decisions, and that the states had chosen Texas as a venue for their case because the court there has a track record of moving to trial quickly.
“The dangers of rushing a case like this are great,” Mahr said during the hearing.
